Regardless of what the Guardians might think of him, of his hurt from their lack of caring, Jack couldn't get himself to venture too far. In fact, only after counting to one hundred did he dare venture back into the workshop. He could see that the four hadn't left the room and seemed to be anxiously speaking to one another. His curiosity got the better of him and so he silently moved to one of the lowest levels that he could that would keep him out of sight. This of course meant that he had to watch the four to make sure they didn't spot him. None of them did as he swiftly and silently flew beneath the level they were standing on to cling to the bottom of the … well, whatever it was called. He made his way over to where the four were arguing, wanting to hear what they were saying over the noise of the workshop. The yetis and elves barely spared him a glance or two.

"Is serious problem!" North boomed.

"I think we just avoided a serious problem." Bunny said scathingly.

"Bunny!" That was Tooth.

"Look, the bloke doesn't care about children. Let him do what he's always done, we don't need the help." There was silence a moment.

"Sandy is right, Manny chose Jack for reason. We cannot simply ignore it." North said, as if it were fact that Jack was a Guardian. Jack frowned. Hadn't he made it plain he wasn't one of them? What was it going to take? The sound of a gasp broke into his thoughts.

"Come! We help Tooth!" North said and he glanced up in time to see a colorful blur dart out of the same skylight he'd used earlier followed by a few fairies. What was going on? He waited until he was sure they were gone before he too darted out of the skylight in time to see the sleigh dance into the sky; he darted towards it, he had to admit that it wasn't the rickety old thing he'd assumed it to be. Maybe he'd misjudged… no, it was just one thing; he brushed his thoughts away as he quietly caught up with the contraption, he settled on the edge of it. He had to admit that his curiosity could get him into trouble and it had once before.

The last time he'd let it go too far he'd found himself faced with Pitch's anger and had lost Baby Tooth. He bit his lip to stifle a cry when the sleigh unexpectedly zipped through a portal.

"What?" He almost missed North's question and he peered around the sleigh, his eyes widening as he saw Nightmares darting around the Tooth Palace. Jack felt his gut twist. He remembered too well how one of them had easily caught Baby Tooth and carried her away from his grasp… The memory left the winter spirit reeling. He couldn't let this happen again… Pitch would… He saw a Nightmare chasing a little fairy and before he knew what he was even thinking of doing he'd shot off from his place on the sleigh and zoomed towards the little fairy. He barely managed to snag her from the air and he dropped down, away from the Nightmares, cupping his hands close to his body as he opened his hand. The little fairy resembled Baby Tooth in that she looked just like her, except that she lacked having eyes that were two different colors.

"You okay little one?" He asked, the fairy quietly chattered at him with a smile, her little hands folded, legs crossed in his hand; her feathers a little ruffled, but she didn't seem to mind being held. Baby Tooth didn't mind either. The little fairy chirped questioningly at him and he could only guess that the pain he felt at remembering his lost friend had flashed across his face. He didn't want to chance getting close to another fairy, but the little fairy he held didn't flutter away from him. In fact, the little one darted into his pocket when he headed back to where the Nightmares were rampaging. He felt anger swell back into him at Pitch. He had a bone to pick with the Boogeyman.

Not caring what the others would think, he blindly charged in, sending ice at some of the Nightmares, freeing more of the little fairies who darted away to try and free their sisters. Jack ignored them and zoomed into the Tooth Palace, looking for more Nightmares. He froze one he saw and when it exploded he saw it wasn't fairies that the Nightmare had been carrying, but golden cylinders. He landed next to them when he didn't see anymore Nightmares about; curious, he crouched down next to one, barely taking note of the thump on a different platform that told him that North had landed his sleigh. Where these what Tooth used to keep the teeth? He glanced around, curious as to what was going on. He flew to a platform higher than the one the Guardians were on as he heard voices, particularly the voice of the one that made his blood boil. Pitch. He aimed his staff at the shade who was currently mocking the Guardians. Jack could care less, his eyes narrowing at the other.

"Is that… Jack Frost?" Pitch said suddenly and he swore he felt the eyes of the others shift to him, but he didn't take his eyes from Pitch.

"Since when are you all so chummy?" Jack narrowed his eyes further.

"We're not." He replied flatly.

"Oh good, a neutral party." Jack spun around, finding Pitch was now lounging against the wall behind him. His grip on his staff tightened and the Boogeyman just smirked.

"Then, I'm going to ignore you… but you must be used to that by now." Jack barely registered the words as he lunged forward angrily, slashing at Pitch, but the shade had already moved to the shadows again. Tooth cried out as she took one of Bunny's boomerangs, brandishing the weapon as she lunged for Pitch where he had reappeared. She stopped short though when a Nightmare reared up between them girl.

"Whoa! Hey! Easy girl, easy." Pitch said, Jack spun back around; he didn't trust Pitch.

"Look familiar Sandman? Took me a while to perfect this little trick, turning dreams into Nightmares." Jack frowned slightly. Pitch's Nightmares were made from Sandy's dreamsand? That didn't seem likely, but this was Pitch. One could never be too careful around him.

"Oh, look. It's happening already." Pitch's words drew Jack's thoughts from that.

"What is?" Jack asked before he knew he'd even spoken.

"Children are waking up, and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came. It's such a little thing, but to a child…." Jack's eyes widened as he began to understand, he looked down at where Tooth was; her eyes were wide with an emotion he wasn't sure he wanted to see.

"They… they don't believe in me anymore…" He hated the way she sounded so… so lost just then; how she looked so vulnerable, like a little child who couldn't believe that someone had taken away something that was theirs for the very first time.

"Didn't they tell you Jack?" Jack's eyes flickered back to Pitch; there was too much… joy in the other's tone as he went on, a hint of mockery underlying his every word.

"It's GREAT being a Guardian, but there's a catch… if enough kids stop believing all the things your friends protect, hopes and dreams… it all goes away… and little by little. So do they." He laughed; Jack felt his grip on his staff tighten.

"No more Easter, or Christmas, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear and darkness… and me. It's your turn, not to be believed in." The venom in his final words held dark promise the Guardians jumped into action as Bunny tossed the boomerang that Tooth had given back to him. Pitch leapt onto the Nightmare next to him and dove, the Guardians didn't hesitate to leap off the platform in pursuit and neither did Jack. He sped up his fall, trying to catch up to the shade as he dodged Bunny's exploding eggs and boomerangs. Jack landed on a rock as the others landed on the ground, everyone looking for any sign of Pitch who had seemed to vanish into a shadow.

"He's gone." North said after a moment and dropped his swords to his side. Everyone seemed to relax, well, everyone but Jack. They turned towards him now and he felt that they were perhaps going to say something to him. That they were going to try and get him to come back with them, well everyone but Bunny might since the rabbit had a grudge against him for a past mistake.

To his surprise, no one actually said anything like he'd been expecting.

"I'm sorry… about your fairies." Jack said, looking to Tooth. She gave him a sad smile. He wasn't sure what to make of her or of any of the others.

"Why would Pitch take the teeth?"

"It's not the teeth he wants. It's the memories inside them. That's why we collect the teeth. They hold the most important memories of childhood. We had everyone's here. Yours too." Jack was caught off guard by that, his eyes widening a little.

"M-my memories?"

"From when you were young, before you were Jack Frost."

"But I… I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost." Tooth looked at him in a bit of disbelief and… something else that he couldn't read.

"Of course you were. We were all someone before we were chosen."

"That night on the ice… I thought… " Jack stuttered as he began to realize that there was more to him than what he remembered.

"You really don't remember?" Tooth asked and Jack shook his head his gaze hazing as it all suddenly came to him in a rush.

"All this time…. The answers were right here…." He hopped down from his rock to stand near Tooth.

"You have to show me!"

"I… I can't Jack… Pitch has them." Determination gleamed in the teen's eyes suddenly as he spoke.

"Then we have to get them back!"

"Oh no… the children…" Tooth said, some of her feathers falling from her and disappearing before they even reached the ground.

"We're too late…"

"No! No such thing as too late!" North boomed before pacing, the others moving to give him room. Jack leaned on his staff, staying out of the larger Guardian's way.

"Wait…. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" He said suddenly, he swung a sword around, nearly beheading Bunny who was too close in the process.

"Idea!" He cried, Jack watched warily as he indicated Bunny and Sandy with a sword.

"WE will collect the teeth!"

"What?! We're talking seven continents, millions of kids." Tooth protested.

"Give me break. Do you know how many toys I deliver in one night?" He said with an easy confidence that Bunny seemed to echo.

"And eggs I hide in one day?" North turned to him, the blades of his swords now pointing to the ground.

"And Jack… if you help us, we will get you your memories." He smiled and Jack thought about it. Could he trust them to keep their word? Sandy gave him two thumbs up, obviously approving of the idea while Bunny rolled his eyes. Tooth giggled and Jack found a smile playing along his features. Well, it could be fun…

"I'm in." He found himself saying, what did he have to lose? If they didn't keep their word there was no way he was going to help them further, but helping Tooth in turn for getting the memories he was after… Well, it couldn't hurt to try could it? Plus he had a feeling that he might just enjoy this little outing.